İletişim stratejisi öğretiminin İngilizceyi yabancı dil olarak öğrenen öğrencilerin İngilizce iletişim kurma istekliliği üzerindeki etkisi

In the literature of second or foreign language (L2) teaching, the extent to which language learners are eager to communicate in and outside the classroom has been described through the term willingness to communicate (WTC). Although this term has been investigated in many English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts, including Turkey, there is still much to know about it. Since WTC has been found to have an essential role in students' communicative competence in the target language, some scholars have sought ways to enhance it, especially in the language preparatory school programs of higher education. One way to increase WTC could be explicit teaching of communication strategies in L2 classes. However, there were not many studies in EFL research that explored the effects of explicit instruction on communication strategies on students' L2 WTC. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was two-fold. Firstly, it attempted to investigate the effects of communication strategy (CS) instruction on tertiary-level EFL students' WTC in the target language. Secondly, it explored whether explicit CS instruction made a meaningful difference in tertiary-level students' self-perceived communication competence (SPCC). In addition, the opinions of the participants who received communication strategies instruction were used to strengthen the findings of this inquiry. The research was carried out in the English preparatory unit of a foundation university in Istanbul, Turkey. Thirty-eight students participated in the experimental phase of the study, which was divided into control and experimental groups. While the students in the control group followed the standard curriculum of the English preparatory unit, the students in the experimental group received a total of seven weeks of communication strategies training. The training content was prepared on the basis of the needs analysis conducted through the "communication strategy use questionnaire" and interviews. Accordingly, six strategies were determined: 1) circumlocution, 2) approximation, 3) time-gaining strategies, 4) appeal for help, 5) clarification request, and 6) comprehension check. In the inquiry, "willingness to communicate in a foreign language scale" and "perceived communication competence self-report" were administered to both groups as data collection tools. In addition, the students in the experimental group participated in semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data gathered in the study were analyzed through SPSS, while qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis approach. The findings revealed that the students in the experimental group had a higher L2 willingness to communicate. It was also observed that the students who took communication strategy instruction had a higher perceived communication competence, and the differences between the groups were statistically meaningful. Finally, students who received communication strategies training stated that they held positive attitudes towards the communication strategy training. The study provides valuable insights into enhancing EFL WTC among tertiary-level language learners.